


Where we would fly

by zinabug



Category: The Bifrost Incident - The Mechanisms (Album), The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Actually chapter 2 is kind of sad, Bonding over fixing the aurora, Gen, Hair Braiding, Hair Brushing, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Cuddling, They/them Lyf, They’re just bonding, and being sad, bonding over being cryptids, dw it’s only a little sad, hair styling/touching is an intimate thing on new Midgard, kind of, whoops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:56:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24272443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zinabug/pseuds/zinabug
Summary: Lyf wanders the ship in the middle of the night, and finds the Engine room.Title from grieve no more by patty gurdy
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nastya rasputina & lyfrassir Edda, The Aurora/Nastya Rasputina
Comments: 31
Kudos: 115





	1. Chapter 1

Lyf wanders the ship when they can’t sleep. 

It doesn’t help much, but it’s better than lying in bed feeling fear and darkness and yog-sothoth pressing over them, suffocating. 

Sometimes they go to their partners in the middle of the night when they can’t sleep, but the nights where reality wears too thin for their liking - most nights - they just wander. 

They’ve noticed that things on the Aurora move. Corridors twist and lead to a new place every day. The ship is almost infinite- Lyf doesn’t really need to eat or drink any more, and they’ve wandered for weeks at a time, worrying their partners. 

* * *

This was the first time the Aurora had led them to the engine room. Apparently it was normally almost impossible to find unless you were Nastya, the engineer and resident cryptid. 

Lyf followed the hum of the ship into a large room full of mechanics and gears and pipes and a wonderful loud low musical hum. They instantly felt stress leave their body as they entered the room. 

“Who are you and what do you want.” A sharp, accented voice suddenly demanded, and a woman who they assumed to be Nastya seemed to materialize out of the tangle of machinery. She was wearing an oversized coat and scarf, and had brown hair and cracked glasses. She was a mess of dust and machine oil, but she didn’t seem to mind. 

Lyf shrugged, hoping she wouldn’t ask them to leave. Behind the dark doorway to the hallway from the engine room was too many thoughts and swirling colors. 

“I’m Lyf.” they said shortly. 

She stared at them. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, inspector Lyf.” then, shockingly, she curtsied, holding out her coat to the sides. 

She was very pale- her lips were tinged blue. Lyf wondered if she was okay. The engine room was very warm, almost uncomfortable for them and their new heightened body temperature - thanks for nothing, yog-sothoth. 

How could she be so cold in here? They were pretty sure she was shivering. 

“Are you alright?” They asked, on an impulse they couldn’t understand. 

Nastya stared at them for a little longer. “Why are you asking?” 

“You’re shivering.” 

“I’m always cold.” She said shortly. “So, are you coming in or not?” 

“Coming in.” They said hurriedly. Nastya nodded and seemed to fold back into the shadows of the engine room again. 

Lyf could see why she was the resident cryptid. Well, two could play that game. 

They closed their eyes and started twisting reality round themselves until they folded themselves into the shadows as well, vanishing completely into the odd in-between space of reality and Not. 

They heard Nastya laugh and blinked back into full on reality, feeling the colored patches on their skin swirling wildly.

She was smiling. 

Lyf settled down in silence, curled up among a nest of cables and watching Nastya do repairs. They were interested in learning how to do repairs, especially since they had been alone in their battered little shuttle for god-knows how long. It had broken down at one point, and Lyf had managed to fix it and not blow a hole in the side of the shuttle, but actually knowing what they were doing would have been nice. 

Nastya put aside some half-finished clockwork pieces and started grabbing wall panels with bullet holes in them from where they were leaned against her workbench, a table tucked into next to the wall and a large pipe with tools hanging from the wall and in drawers. 

She was working on repairing the bullet holes, doing something with a hammer and then welding. Lyf watched with interest as she set the first panel aside. 

They got to their feet and walked over to her, announcing their presence by coughing. They’d learned that when startled, the mechanisms were more likely to react with violence then normal. 

Nastya looked up at them. “Yes?” 

“Will you show me how to do repairs?” Lyf nodded towards the metal sheet. 

Nastya’s face lit up, although it was carefully hidden within a fraction of a second. “Yes, of course. Here, I’ll show you how to fix wall panels- there’s always more of them to repair.” she sighed and shook her head. “I’m going to shoot Jonny for all the damage he causes her.” 

Lyf took the hammer she offered. “who?” 

“The Aurora.” Nastya shook her head. “Did anyone tell you anything?” 

“No.” 

“The Aurora is sentient. She’s my girlfriend.” Nastya glared at Lyf as if daring them to challenge her on it.

Lyf just nodded. 

Nastya, satisfied she wasn’t going to have to destroy them for insulting her relationship with her girlfriend, started showing Lyf how to fix the wall panels. 

Working with their hands was a good distraction. They enjoyed it, even when they badly burned their hand on the hot metal. 

They loudly cursed and started blowing on their hand, feeling pain lance through them. Nastya instantly dropped her hammer and grabbed their burned hand in hers. 

They gasped in shock as she touched them. Her hands were freezing, beyond the point where she could possibly be alive. 

“Your hands-” they gasped, wiping away their tears with their free hand. 

“ _ Your  _ hand.” she snapped. “Hold still.” 

Nastya checked over the burn with her freezing hands. “I think I have a first aid kit that hasn't expired. sorry” she let go of their hand, and it started hurting a lot more again. Lyf bit their lip, hard, as she dug out a first aid kit and came back over to them. 

“Give me your hand again.” she held out her hand and Lyf took it gratefully as she dug around in the kit looking for burn ointment. 

“‘S not expired.” she ripped a packet of burn ointment open with her teeth and spread it on the burn. 

Lyf flinched, then sighed with relief as the ointment started working. 

Nastya frowned and tapped one of Lyf’s colored patches of skin. It shrank away from her freezing touch. 

“They move.” She said. 

Lyf would have pulled their arm away, but they trusted Nastya and her cold hands were soothing their burns.

“Yes, they do. You saw them earlier, right?”

Nastya nodded, tracing her finger along the patch again. This time it rushed closer to her. “I’m sorry- I don’t like touch, so it's rude of me to touch you.” 

Lyf placed their good hand over Nastya’s. “No, it’s fine.” they weren’t exactly a fan of touch either, but they trusted Nastya, And her freezing hands felt nice against their hot skin. 

She looked down. “I’m sorry. I’m just…” 

“Cold?” Lyf asked. 

She laughed sharpley and nodded. “I don’t have any circulation, or blood for that matter.” 

“I was touched by the outer gods.” Lyf said. “I thought I had a fever for ages- but this is just me now.” 

Nastya nodded and lightly squeezed their hand. 

“Can I hug you?” Lyf suddenly asked, surprising themself. they really didn’t enjoy touch, even from their partners sometimes. 

Nastya nodded. 

Lyf wrapped their arms around her, being careful of their burned hand. Nastya was standing there stiffly at first, but she relaxed and wrapped her own arms around Lyf’s waist. “You’re warm.” she muttered. 

“You’re cold.” Lyf responded. 

She just hummed in response. 

Tall as Nastya was, Lyf was still several inches taller than her. Her hair was in their face- it was tangled with cobwebs. How could she let her hair get in such a state- Lyf would have to fix it. After they got to know each other better, of course. 

* * *

Nastya and Lyf were sitting against the wall, Nastya’s head on Lyf’s shouler and their arm was over her shoulders. Both of them were half asleep, one of Nastya’s hands holding Lyf’s burned hand. Everything was quiet except for the hum of the engine and the two’s breathing as Lyf fell into one of the most peaceful sleeps they had experienced since they had left midgard. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one... is a lil sad. As a treat.

Visiting Nastya has become a regular thing for Lyf now. 

They go to the engine room, and talk sometimes, although really Nastya just gives Lyf lessons on doing repairs, in mostly silence. 

They had decided that they knew her well enough to ask if they could do her hair, and nervously walked down corridors holding their bag of things until they found the engine room. 

Nastya was sitting on her work table, polishing something. At Lyf’s approach, she looked up and nodded. 

Her hair was still a disaster. Lyf knew that their braids weren’t exactly in the best shape either, but it was much better than Nastya’s. 

“Do you need something?” she asked after a minute of silence. 

“Yes- ah- may I fix your hair?” 

“Of course.” she frowned at them as they relaxed. “Does that mean something important?” 

Lyf nodded very quickly. “Back home- generally, touching or styling someone’s hair means... well- um- normally only people very close to you will do it. And we’re close friends- right? I hope we are- And your hair is a mess, and well…” they ended, somewhat helplessly. 

Nastya nodded slowly. “You’re saying the styling of hair is an intimate act and only for family, close friends and lovers.” 

“Yes! That’s what I was trying to say.” Lyf could feel the colors on their skin swirling wildy again. 

“And since we’re good friends, you’d like to do my hair?” she lightly touched the top of her head. “It is a mess, isn’t it. It wasn’t that long ago that I washed it- well, that’s what you get for spending a lot of your time in the air ducts.” she smiled a rare smile at Lyf. “of course you can do my hair.” 

Lyf nodded, holding their bag closer to their chest. “Right- I have brushes and things- I'll do my best.” 

Nastya hopped off the work table and dragged a stool over in front of it. “You can sit on the table, and I can sit here.” 

Lyf perched on the table, and started to brush her hair. 

The room was silent except for the hum of the engine as Lyf worked, untangling and removing cobwebs. 

Nastya started humming quietly a little bit after they started braiding her hair, something simple that would keep it out of the way and hopefully clean longer. 

“Lyf, do you play any instruments?” she asked. 

“I used to play cello- it’s been a very long time.” since they started investigating the Bifrost, and everything started going to shit. They’d hardly had time to pack a suitcase before they left new midgard. 

“I can get you a cello.” she said, and Lyf almost dropped the braid in shock. 

“That would be wonderful- I’ll have to get back in the habit of playing.” Lyf smiled. 

“You’ll have time. That’s one thing you have an abundance of.”

Lyf realized they weren’t smiling anymore. “Nastya- I’m not immortal.” 

She hunched forwards slightly. “Oh- right. Right. Yes.” 

The silence was a lot less comfortable as Lyf finished the briad and tied it into a complex bun. They were decidedly not thinking about growing old and dying and Nastya still being seventeen and going on and on alone in the engine room. 

“I finished.” they said quietly. 

Nastya stood up, reaching behind her head to feel the braid. “Oh, I love it.” she dug a mirror out of one of the workbench drawers and tipped it around, trying to look at the back of her head. “It's beautiful.” 

Lyf looked down at the floor. “My pleasure.” 

Nastya turned around. “Thank you for feeling we were close enough to do this.” she smiled faintly. “I don’t have anything to offer in return-” 

“You’ve been teaching me, and keeping me company. That's more than enough repayment.” 

Nastya met their eyes, just for a moment. “Once again, thank you- it's nice to have someone to talk to besides the aurora.” 

“Any time.” Lyf smiled. “You know where to find me- or, well, the aurora does.” 

Nastya nodded. “Would you like me to give you more lessons on doing repairs tonight?” 

She was trying to repay them, they could tell. “Of course.” 

Nastya smiled wider- she loved showing Lyf the working of the ship, and she would be the happiest Lyf had ever seen her as she explained and worked. 

“Wonderful! Come here, and I’ll show you how to…” 

Lyf followed her to her larger work table as she talked, smiling the whole way. 


End file.
